Do Your Taxes the Easy Way with TurboTax

Last year, the average TurboTax federal refund was $2,642. If I weren't already an ardent TurboTax user; that in itself would be enough to make me switch to using TurboTax. I have used TurboTax to do my federal and state taxes for several years now, and I can honestly say, I have not found one thing with the use of TurboTax that could even be considered negative. It's all the guarantees that TurboTax offers is what keeps me so devoted.

1. TurboTax guarantees the largest possible refund. If you can get a larger refund using any other tax preparation method, then they will give you your money back.

2. You don't have to concern yourself with deductions. TurboTax has over 350 deductions that will come into play as you answer the questions.

3. "ItsDeductible" is built into TurboTax Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business, and will give the retail value of over 1,000 commonly donated items.

4. As you answer the questions, TurboTax Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business will do all the calculations, and will let you know if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses.

5. There is a display on your monitor that gives updates on refund amounts as you answer questions.

6. My favorite is; TurboTax has a 100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee. If the IRS or State impose a penalty because of an error in calculation, they pay the penalty and you get your money back.

Another feature about TurboTax that I think is really great, you can use TurboTax online without charge, up to the point you decide to print-out or electronically file your tax return. At that point you will be required to pay for the product. To try this out, go online to http://turbotax.intuit.com. At least it's a nice way to try the product out to see if it will suit your needs.

I had always used TurboTax cd download to prepare our taxes. I knew it cost more with e-file, but I was just more comfortable. Then, a couple of years ago, but the time that I got around to purchasing TurboTax, and doing my taxes, I could not find the software anywhere in the area. Every business was sold out. Since I didn't want to wait for more to come in, I decided to go ahead and do everything online. I was really glad I did. Not only was it every bit as easy doing my taxes on TurboTax's website, I didn't have the software to file away after taxes were done.

When you consider all the work that using TurboTax saves, the cost is really not all that much. For EZ and simple returns there is no cost (this is for online filing). For TurboTax Basic, this is EZ filing with a few basic deductions the cost is $14.95 with free federal e-filing, and if you need state there is an additional $34.95. TurboTax Deluxe is $29.95 with free federal filing, with an added cost of $34.95 if you need state. If you have investment related deductions you will need TurboTax Premier which costs $49.95 with an added cost of $34.95 for state, and for the homeowner and self-employer there is TurboTax Home & Business, which costs $74.95 and $34.95 for state. The cost isn't that much, when you consider what you get for the money.

Let's not forget the import feature that TurboTax Basic, Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business has. TurboTax will get your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions. It instantly transfers last year's TurboTax return to this year, and takes your financials from Quicken and QuickBooks and transfer the information over. Before you know it, your work is half done, and it seems that you haven't even got started.

IRS is scheduled to start accepting tax returns on January 16, 2009. With e-filing and direct deposit you should see your return in 8 - 10 days.

Resources:

http://turbotax.intuit.com